System and method for weighting configuration item relationships supporting business critical impact analysis

• US 8,170,903 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2008
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Poissant, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): VIZVARY, GERALD C
• Application Number:
  US12/100,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20090259501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.28, 705/7.36
• US Class Current: 705/7.28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals

Abstract

A system and method for generating a business critical impact analysis report includes steps of: inserting a rank value field in each configuration item relationship type definition; inserting a rank value field in each single relationship between configuration items; determining default rank values for the rank value fields; assigning the default rank values to the single relationships and the relationship type definitions; receiving a user request to generate the business critical impact analysis report at a selected rank level of configuration items; and presenting the business critical impact analysis report to the user, displaying the configuration items and their relationships corresponding to the selected level.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a business critical impact analysis report, the method comprising steps of:

using an information processing device to perform;

displaying to a user a criticality of relationships among configuration items based on their business impact;

assigning a ranking value to each relationship, and another value of that relationship ranking by a role;

displaying on a display device the relationship in context of a user'"'"'s role and in context of its relationship to a business;

adding the ranking value to the individual relationship definitions;

inserting a rank value field in an existing relationship type definition of each of a plurality of configuration items;

inserting a rank value field in each single relationship between each of the plurality of configuration items;

determining default rank values for the rank value fields based on a business value of the relationships between the configuration items;

assigning the default rank values to the rank value fields in each of the single relationships and the relationship type definitions;

receiving a user request to generate the business critical impact analysis report at a selected rank level of business impact; and

presenting on the display device the business critical impact analysis report to the user, such that the configuration items and their associated relationships corresponding to the selected level are displayed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the business critical impact analysis report further comprises displaying the configuration items and relationships corresponding to levels above the selected level.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising overriding the default rank values with user-defined default rank values.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising overriding the default rank values with the user-defined default rank values that are based on deliverables for their particular role in an organization.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising overriding the default rank values with the user-defined default rank values that are based on the user'"'"'s role and said role'"'"'s relationship to an organization.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the business critical impact analysis report further comprises displaying the configuration items and relationships of all levels, not just the selected level.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising differentiating the configuration items associated with relationships of the selected level from the configuration items associated with relationships pertaining to other levels.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein differentiating the configuration items of the selected level comprises graying out the configuration items pertaining to the other levels.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein differentiating the configuration items of the selected level comprises highlighting said configuration items.

10. An information processing system for generating a business critical impact analysis report, the system comprising:

a processor for;

displaying to a user by a graphical user interface a criticality of relationships among configuration items based on their business impact;

assigning a ranking value to each relationship, and another value of that relationship ranking by a role;

displaying on a display device the relationship in context of a user'"'"'s role and in context of its relationship to a business;

adding the ranking value to the individual relationship definitions;

inserting a rank value field in an existing relationship type definition of each of a plurality of configuration items;

inserting a rank value field in each single relationship between each of the plurality of configuration items;

determining default rank values for the rank value fields based on a business value of the relationships between the configuration items;

assigning the default rank values to the rank value fields in each of the single relationships and the relationship type definitions;

a data storage;

a memory operatively coupled with the processor; and

an input/output interface configured for;

receiving a user request to generate the business critical impact analysis report at a selected rank level of business impact; and

presenting the business critical impact analysis report to the user, such that the configuration items and their associated relationships corresponding to the selected level are displayed.

11. The information processing system of claim 10 further comprising a web interface for displaying the business critical impact analysis report as a web page.

12. The information processing system of claim 10 wherein the input/output interface comprises a computer screen for presenting a display of the business critical impact analysis report.

13. The information processing system of claim 12 wherein the display comprises a graphical user interface that allows a user to select and modify the configuration items and relationships that are displayed, through the display.

14. The information processing system of claim 13 wherein the graphical user interface comprises a slider bar for selecting and modifying the configuration item relationships.

15. The information processing system of claim 13 wherein the graphical user interface comprises a drop-down menu for selecting and modifying the configuration item relationships.

16. The information processing system of claim 13 wherein the configuration items are represented as icons.

17. The information processing system of claim 10 wherein the configuration items comprise:

hardware, software, inventory, supplies, and property.

18. The information processing system of claim 17 wherein the relationships between the configuration items comprise:

connects to, requires, hosts, documents, is owned by, owns, is backed up by, requires, located at, uses, is served by, and serves.

19. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising code that, when executed, enables a computer to:

use an information processing device to;

display to a user a criticality of inter-relationships among configuration items based on their business impact;

assign a ranking value to each inter-relationship, and another value of that relationship ranking by a role;

display on a display device the relationship in context of a user'"'"'s role and in context of its relationship to the business;

add the ranking value to the individual relationship definitions;

insert a rank value field in an existing relationship type definition of each of a plurality of configuration items;

insert a rank value field in each single relationship between each of the plurality of configuration items;

determine default rank values for the rank value fields based on a business value of the relationships between the configuration items;

assign the default rank values to the rank value fields in each of the single relationships and the relationship type definitions;

receive a user request to generate the business critical impact analysis report at a selected rank level of business impact; and

present the business critical impact analysis report to the user, such that the configuration items and their relationships corresponding to the selected level are displayed.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the code further enables the computer to override the default rank values with user-defined default rank values.